All His Fault
by rachelxxray
Summary: an entry for greenfiend03's contest. When Derek needs to finish an assignment for school he opens a calamari stand. And what exactly is Casey blaming him for? Dasey of course. R
1. The Assignment

'It wasn't her fault,' Casey thought as she laid flat on her back against the cold tile floor, 'it was never her fault. Like always this, was all Derek's fault.'

This however didn't start overnight. Oh no. To fully understand exactly the damage Derek has caused you'll have to go back. Two weeks ago sounds like a good place to start . . .

Once again the seven Venturi-MacDonalds were sitting around the table eating dinner. Except tonight no one had touched their food.

"What," Derek cringed "Is this?"

"It's calamari Derek, and it's very healthy for you." Lizzie explained, she was after all, the one who had prepared the meal.

"Is it suppose to . . . jiggle?" Derek asked, poking a piece of the food with his fork

"Oh please Derek, suck it up. It would do you good to eat something healthy for once in your life." Casey said, rolling her eyes

"Need I remind you what I had for lunch today?" Derek began, "I had. . .a salad. Last time I checked, that was pretty darn healthy."

Casey gave Derek a quick look then said, "A _taco _salad with _chilli _and _nacho chips_ doesn't count Derek."

That shut Derek up in a quick hurry, only long enough for the phone to ring.

"I'll get it." George said, standing up to go answer it.

"DEREK!" George bellowed, after he had hung up the phone.

"What did you do now?" Edwin asked quietly to his older brother.

"You're failing business?" George asked harshly.

"Am I?" Derek asked cautiously

"Derek! How- How could you?"

"I could tell you." Casey whispered under her breath before she caught a look from her mom.

"You need to finish your assignment's Derek. Your teacher told me that you haven't finished your major assignment."

Derek gave George a blank look, obviously he had no idea what assignment George was talking about.

George sighed, "The one where you're suppose to start your own small business."

"Oh right! That one." Derek said sarcastically, taking a bit of his dinner.

"Yes that one. So Derek what are you going to do?" George asked

Derek paused, " I'm going to...I'm going to. . . .I'm going to. . .open a calamari stand!"

"A WHAT!" The rest of the family asked.


	2. Team Work?

'Another one of Derek's stupid ideas.' Casey though, 'But if only, If only I too hadn't been so stupid'...

"But Mrs. Collier" Casey began "I told you already, it's not my fault my report had purple crayon all over it. My little sister Marti thought it needed some color. If you would just let me redo my small business report-"

"Casey, I can't let you redo the report." Mrs. Collier answered bluntly.

Casey sighed heavily, she didn't want to resort back to her old grade grubbing ways...but if she had to...

"I can however, let you do another assignment for extra credit that will hopefully boost your mark."

"Oh thank you Mrs. Collier!" Casey exclaimed happily

"Now, your assignment is-"

"Mrs. Collier!" Derek shouted, barging into the classroom and bumping Casey out of his way.

"I have to talk to you about my small business assignment." Derek pleaded

"You mean the one that was due three weeks ago?" Casey quipped under her breath.

Derek shot her a glare and continued, "Mrs. Collier, you have to talk to the workers in the cafeteria. They won't let me open my calamari stand there. Something about how I might take money away from them. You have to do something!"

"Well Derek I-" Mrs. Collier began

"Ummm Mrs. Collier, if you could just give me my assignment then I can leave you to deal with...Derek." Casey interrupted

"Casey can you wait just five seconds?" Derek shot back.

Casey turned to face Derek getting angrier by the second. "You know what Derek?"

"No, but I'm sure you're gonna tell me anyways" Derek said with his classic smirk.

Casey took a deep breath then continued, "Some of us are here to actually do work and not slack off like you do everyday, and some of us know how to take-our-turns and be polite while people are talking. Instead of just butting in and interrupting!" Casey said, arguing back.

"Yeah well-"

"Stop it you two!" Mrs. Collier shouted, putting a stop to Casey and Derek's bickering.

"Derek, part of the assignment _was _to find your own place to open your business"

Derek opened his mouth to retort, but Mrs. Collier continued, "but, seeing as you're short on time I'll let you use the old rec. centre."

"But that place is filthy!" Derek shrieked

"Very true Derek." Mrs. Collier said slyly, "You don't expect me to make you clean that place all by yourself. NO, you'll definitely need a partner."

"Thank you for understanding Mrs. Collier." Derek smiled, giving his teacher a flirtatious wink and headed towards the door.

"Oh Derek wait!" the teacher said, slightly flustered but Derek's flirtatious gesture looked from Casey to Derek and back again.

"Casey, I finally have your assignment, you wanted to raise your mark. So, you're going to be Derek's partner. Have a nice day."

"Thank you Mrs. C-wait wh- DEREK?!" Casey stammered.

"No No No — Mrs. Collier. I- I can't work with Casey!" Derek shouted back.

"I can see that Derek." Mrs. Collier said calmly, "You two will just have to learn to work together."

"But-"

"No buts, here's the keys to the rec centre, I want the first progress report on my desk by Friday."

Finally the bell rang, signifying that lunch was over.

"Well I better let you two go. I don't want you to be late for class. And remember...Friday." Mrs. Collier snickered as she left the room.

Although Casey and Derek had both heard the bell neither of them had bothered to move yet. Instead their eyes were locked on each other, hatred blazing. It's what they'd both wanted; Derek had wanted a partner and Casey had wanted a new assignment.

Both of them had had other things in mind, but now there was nothing to get out of their current situation, no doubt in either of their minds... They were stuck together.


	3. An Act of Kindness

"Why I stuck it out with Derek, I would never quite understand. I could have just not done the assignment. I would have gotten great enjoyment out of watching Derek crash and burn like I knew he would have. But I didn't... and that's nobody's fault but mine..."

"Way to go Derek." Casey said angrily as her and Derek walked to the rec centre after school that day.

"Wait," Derek shot back "How is this _my _fault? If you weren't such a goodie-two-shoes, grade grubbing...GRUBBER that you are then I'd actually have a partner that I'd actually enjoy working with. Instead..I'm stuck with you."

Casey sighed out of complete and utter aggravation, there was no use trying to argue with Derek. All of his arguments with her were the same. Whenever he couldn't think of a valid point to retort with he'd just insult her. Further proofing Casey's point that Derek is indeed a five year old. Finally, the two of them reached the rec centre and Derek unlocked the door.

"Okay, you ready to get to work Casey?" Derek turned around to see Casey still standing at the front door. "Casey what are you doing? Get in here."

Casey shook her head frantically.

"What's your problem?" Derek asked looking at her.

Casey slowly pointed toward the ground, Derek followed her finger until he saw what had Casey frozen to the spot outside the door.

"A rat?" Derek questioned calmly

Casey didn't move, or reacted to slightest to Derek's comment, her eyes remained glued on the dead rodent that was right in the middle of her path.

"Casey c'mon," Derek begged, his voice getting gradually softer by the moment.

But Casey remained still.

"Fine." Derek said, more to himself than to Casey "If you won't move...then well, I'll have to make you move."

Swiftly and quickly Derek walked over to Casey. Stepping over the dead rat without the slightest care and stood infront of Casey.

"Wh-what are you doing?" Casey finally asked shyly.

"Moving you." Derek smiled, and before Casey could asked more questions Derek had scooped Casey up in his arms.

As soon as the two had stepped over the rat Derek set Casey back down. Almost without realizing it Derek had left his hand resting on Casey's hip, just because it felt so comfortable there. It wasn't until their eyes met that Derek realized what was going on and he quickly too a step back.

"We better get started, we've got a lot of work to do." And with that he grabbed a backpack of cleaning supplies and headed off, with Casey close behind him.


	4. Jealous? I Don't Think So

AS Casey gazed up at the newly finished ceiling and painted walls surrounding her she realized that despite their constant bickering and arguing; her and Derek made a pretty good team. Which was the problem...

It had been nearly two weeks since Derek and Casey had been given the keys to the rec centre. Business had been booming since then to say the least. Apparently the students of John Sparrow High School enjoyed the taste of dead octopus wrapped in dried up ocean weeds known as seed weed than Casey thought they did. Although the second -and more believable- reason that the student body had found a new love, and particularly sickening obsession with calamari was the fact that Derek Venturi was selling it, and if Derek Venturi liked it then people just had to have it.

"Casey!" Derek hollered from the front counter, "Two spicy California rolls with five packets of wasabi mayonnaise STAT!"

"Y'know you could help me." Casey sighed as she began preparing the order.

"Um Casey, if you stopped complaining for two seconds you'd see that I'm too busy _running_ this place to help you... now hurry up with that order."

Derek then turned to the counter and said to the girl waiting for her food, "Good help is so hard to find."

The girl gave a flirtatious giggle and began to say something back before Casey shoved a brown paper bag at her face and said with fake happiness, "Enjoy, please come again!" And walked away.

"What was that about?!" Derek asked angrily as his flipped off the Open sign and began stacking some of the chairs onto of the tables they had set out for customers to eat their food at.

"What was what about?" Casey asked naively as she began to wrap up the left over food.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about. I was _this_ close to getting a date with that girl!" Derek exclaimed.

"Oh please Derek, you don't want to date a girl like her!" Casey said as she began to wipe down the counters.

"Oh yes Casey, I _do _want to date a girl like that. One, she's hot. Two, she's hot and Three, she's crazy for me... like every other girl in this school is." Derek smirked.

"Oh please Derek give me a break. Now, if you're done day dreaming about yourself could you help me with cleaning up around here." Casey quipped

"Fine give me that cloth." Derek said reaching for the cloth Casey was using to wipe down the counter

"Derek get your-" Casey began to yell, but as soon as Derek's hand touched her's she lost all sense of thought.

Their's eyes locked on one another's, and neither seemed to remember how to blink. It wasn't until there was a loud tapping on the door that Casey finally blinked and walked around Derek to see who was at the door.

"Noel!" Casey exclaimed happily when she got to the door.

"Hey." Noel said quietly, as he stepped inside.

"Sorry dude, we're closed" Derek said cooly, hoping Noel was only here for some calamari and not something or someone else...

"Umm...actually I'm here to pick Casey up to go to the movies.." Noel said awkwardly

"Oh sweet! I'd love to come!" Derek smiled, "What are we going to see?"

"_Noel _and I are going to see an Independent French Film. And_ you_ are going home. Or off to find some other sleazy blonde bimbo you can hook up with for the night." Casey said as she emerged from the back with her bag and coat on.

"Oh.." Derek said, suddenly at a lose for words and smart aleck phrases. "Well have f-"

But the front door slammed before Derek could finish his sentence. Finally Derek too grabbed his coat, turned out the store room lights and went straight home.


	5. Slamming Doors

'I should have seen the hints, I should have noticed the signs' Casey thought as the sun faded away and it started to grow dark ' I should have... I should have... I should have never thought that anything could have happened. Or that Derek of all people was capable of caring...'

It wasn't until 11:00pm that Casey arrived home.

"Glade to see you decided to retire here for the night, and not at some dumpy motel with _Noel_" Derek sneered, as Casey walked through the front door.

"I would never go to some motel with Noel." Casey stated back, "I would however expect _you _to be at one with your girl for the night." Casey paused and looked at Derek, "But I see you decided to bring her home instead..."

"There's no girl Casey." Derek said softly

"Oh." Casey said sympathetically, "You mean The Great Derek-Ladies Man-Venturi has finally lost his touch at getting any girl he wants?" Casey chuckled slyly.

"No." Derek said angrily, "I didn't hook up with any girl tonight because I didn't want to, _not_ because I can't."

And with that Derek began to walk up the stairs toward his room.

"Oh Casey," Derek said, catching her gaze in his own, he walked down the stairs and dug in his pocket until he pulled out an envelope "I hope your date with Noel was nice, here's your pay for the week."

" It wasn't a da-" Casey said harshly as she opened the envelope. "Derek! There- there must be some mistake! There's no way there's enough money here!" Casey gasped

Derek stopped dead on the stairs, turned and said slyly, "Well Casey. I never pinned you as the greedy type."

"Cut it out Derek. It's not greed, it's taking what's rightfully mine. I've worked for you for two weeks. I deserve more than this." Casey explained, moving up the stairs as well.

"Well Casey tell me. How much money is in the envelope I just gave you?" Derek asked

"Thirty-five dollars. I should be getting at least sixty." Casey answered

"Well," Derek thought "That's minus ten for you being a Grade Grubber and getting me stuck with you in the first place, fifteen for all the non-stop whining and complaining you do everyday you work, and minus five for making me close up by myself while you went on your little _non_-date with _Noel_. So, to me, thirty seems like the correct amount." Derek finished, looking down at Casey as she stood on the step below him.

"Well...well then what's the extra five dollars for?"Casey asked, her eyes stuck in a glare at Derek

"Oh right." Derek smirked, "That's your leaving money because you're fired." Derek said angrily, and turned and walked away.

"I'm what!"Casey shouted

"You heard me!" Derek yelled back

"You can't fire me!" Casey retorted

" It's _my_ business _I_ can do what I want!" Derek yelled as he came to his room door.

"It's _our_ business and no you can't!" Casey yelled coming up beside Derek at his door.

"Not anymore it's not, 'cause like I said...you're fired!" Derek stated loudly

"What am I suppose to tell Mrs. Collier?" Casey asked angrily

"Why don't you ask Noel?" Derek said harshly, and slammed his door.

Casey stood outside his door for a moment, hoping he'd open it and explain to her what the real reason for his out burst was all about. Or that he'd open his door with a smile, telling her it was all just a joke. But neither of those happened.

"What was all the shouting about?" Nora asked as she came up the stairs with George close behind her.

"Nothing." Casey said coldly, not making eye contact with her mother and then she too went to her room with a slam of her door to match Derek's.


End file.
